“Follow your dreams” - Danielle Kelly on the growth of jiu-jitsu and the road to ONE

Danielle Kelly recently detailed her journey to ONE Championship.

Kelly made quite the impression in her promotional debut at ONE's 10th-anniversary pay-per-view ONE X in March. She met women's Japanese MMA icon Mei Yamaguchi in a submission grappling contest. While Kelly may not have submitted Yamaguchi, she dominated the match throughout the duration, imposing her will on Yamaguchi. As a result, she earned a $50,000 performance bonus.

After a standout 2022 for the young Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Kelly took a moment to look back at her path to ONE Championship and the growth of BJJ's popularity over the last decade.

"Starting jiu jitsu at a young age during a time when it wasn’t as popular in 2006-2007. it’s really cool to see how much the sport grown today. I remember watching old school matches/fights and even when bigger names were still active in competing. I always told myself I would compete on the biggest stage just like them in front of thousands (no matter how much it scares me because I’m always shy lol but getting better) and here I am. Doing it. They say always follow your dreams and that’s what I’m doing."

Born in 1995, Danielle Kelly began training in jiu-jitsu around the age of 11. During that time, BJJ was starting to gain notoriety in the MMA world, but submission grappling matches were still relatively underground. Since then, BJJ has seen a surge in popularity, thanks in part to online streaming services that make access to the events much easier for grappling fans.

Now, with ONE Championship signing grappling stars like Tye and Kade Ruotolo, Gordon Ryan and Kelly herself, submission grappling is becoming more popular than ever.

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Danielle Kelly helps bring attention to submission grappling on ONE's global stage

While ONE X was not the promotion's first foray into submission grappling, the signing of Danielle Kelly helped put it back on the menu. ONE Championship's first ever grappling contest took place in 2017 between Asian MMA legend Shinya Aoki and Garry Tonon, who was making his grappling debut with the organization. Tonon won the contest via a heel hook near the halfway point of the 15-minute bout.

Aoki once again competed in a submission grappling match the following year against Marat Gafurov. Aoki earned the win via a rear-naked choke with just minutes left on the clock. It was the last submission grappling bout until Danielle Kelly stepped into the ONE Circle on March 26, 2022 and introduced herself to the world.

Since Kelly's appearance at ONE X, ONE fans have been treated to grappling contests for the best in the world, including the Ruotolo brothers, Andre Galvao and Mikey Musumeci. We've also seen ONE icons Shinya Aoki, Gordon Ryan and Garry Tonon compete in submission grappling this year.

With ONE Championship's backing, submission grappling is once again on the rise and receiving mainstream attention. The ONE veterans have welcomed the new blood of grappling with open arms and fans are loving every minute of it.

The submission grappling train continues chugging along at ONE 159 on July 22 when 2021 IBJJF Worlds medalist and 2022 Pans champion Jessa Khan makes her promotional debut against fellow debutant Amanda 'Tubby' Alequin in an atomweight grappling contest.